Small Sacrifices: A True Story of Passion and Murder (Signet) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "gency room doctor; his assessment of patient's needs is deft. In his late thirties, married, and the father of young children, he had worked full-time..." (more)
Key Phrases: brass unicorn, surrogate baby, county shops, Fred Hugi, Diane Downs, Doug Welch (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This searching analysis of the shooting of three children in Oregon by their mother devolves into a study of personality. In May of 1983, Diane Downs drove to a Williamette Valley hospital emergency room with her children, all gravely wounded; one did not survive the first hour, and the other two were disabled for life. Downs initially told of a "bushy-haired stranger" who had committed the crime, but frequently changed her story. Under police questioning she recalled her childhood with a cold, domineering father who abused her sexually, her weak mother, a rape by one of her bosses, her failed marriage and many men with whom she had sex. One of these men, whom she claimed to love, did not want children, and that may have prompted the crime, speculates the author. The greatest strength of this book is the exploration by ex-policewoman Rule (The Stranger Beside Me of the aberrant personality of Downs, who is now imprisoned and not eligible for parole until 2009.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

* 'Superb... the most riveting true-crime account since IN COLD BLOOD' - Kirkus Reviews * 'Vivid... extraordinary... a page turner' - New York Times Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Signet (July 5, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451166604
• ISBN-13: 978-0451166609
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,487 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best True Crime book ever written, December 17, 1999

By	Carole Sabo (Sacramento, California) - See all my reviews

Anne Rule is a writer of uncommon intelligence and insight. In "Small Sacrifices," she tells the mesmerizing story of Diane Downs, a beautiful, brillient, sociopath, who commits the ultimate evil when she shoots her three children to gain the love of a married man. Anne Rule's insight into the personality of Downs is as horrifying as it is disturbing. I literally could not put the book down. Never have I read or heard of such a selfish, self-centered woman as Diane Downs. She never confesses to shooting her children, but her conduct at the trial is sickening. She taps her foot and smiles while listening to "Hungry Like the Wolf," the song that was playing in her car while she slaughtered her children; she laughs when she should cry, she cries when it benefits her. One daughter is dead, one has lost the use of her arm and speech, and the little boy is paralyzed. None of this horror seems to penetrate Diane. She has no feelings for her children's suffering. The detail in this book is fasinating. Anne Rule describes every bit of evidence and presents it in such a way as to keep the reader of the edge of her seat. A must read for all true crime buffs.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic read!, June 3, 2000

By	Miranda Dietrich "voracious reader and jewelr... (Milwaukee) - See all my reviews

I am going through another one of my "true crime" phases; my last phase was in the early to mid-80's, and this one has me buying every true crime book Amazon sells! I say this as context because no matter how many true crime books I read, Ann Rule always comes up on top in terms of authors and in terms of my interest in the book. She's really an artist in this genre. When reading this book, as with all of Ms. Rule's books, I sometimes had to counsel myself to be patient and slow down. Rule has a bit of Stephen King in her, and so her writing can be dense, words and details often packed as tightly as sardines in a tin. Unlike King, however, Rule never wastes a word. I have read so many true crime books with fascinating topics and such poor writing (and editing) that dramatic crime cases become dull. Not in this case! In this book, Rule is at her best. Her eye for detail and her exceptional skill at recreating the drama of the crime and the courtroom are at full tilt in Small Sacrifices. Her background/historical detail here is exquisitely done and incredibly thorough. This is probably my favorite Ann Rule book so far. I simply could not put it down, reading it in all manner of unlikely places! I imagine it's obvious that I highly recommend this book!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Ann Rule's best. , August 22, 2004

By	Martha Rodriguez "cast away" (Albany, Oregon) - See all my reviews

Well written and very informative about the criminal case of Diane Downs. This is truly a sad story of a lost woman who could not see the value in herself and much less in her own children. Ann Rule portrays a very detailed account of what it was like to be Diane Downs from being molested as a young girl to being a lost adult woman. Diane Downs was rejected by her then lover, a married coworker. This (in my view) was nothing personal, he just knew he needed to go back to his wife and dealing with children wasn't something he was prepared to do. Diane's inablity to handle "rejection" created an obssession with him and she believed that if she got rid of the kids then he'd come back to her. Diane Downs is a confused young woman with no direction in life who has not developed any depth to her personality. Even after she is arrested she continues her bizarre self destructive behavior and starts up a pen-pal relationship with the sick psycho-killer known as the I-5 killer (another one of Ann Rule's books).
This book is great to start with if you are not familiar with Ann Rule.